Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-11-17

Aove's Yoursg Dream Ended when
me CIRQUE Came to Town.

HE -
Aove's Yoursg Dream Ended wnsn
the CIRQUE Came to Town.
A gentlemen of some prominence r.
business circles was sitting with =
friend in the Grand Hotel ofica.
when the conversation driited to cir.
ems MANAGEMENT and enterprise.
.sThe cominn of Forepaugh, be said.
ssrecalls one OF the most Interesting
periods Of my life. 1t has enough ro-
nance in it 10 make it worth the tell.
inc. Besides, it shows what peculiar
incidents sometimes follow from ian.
eied affection. Thirty years ago r.
was experie,icing on q Nebraska farn
what falls tothe lot OF weii-to-doi arm-
erss boys. / had my pleasures. but
thew came s.t intervals, afterdaysanS-
weeks of hard work. We had a neigh
bor. whose daughter won my ianc.
She was beautiful, vivaciouss and lust
such a girl as to win the attention Of
a guileless youth like myself. Young
love ran blindly along until my father
discovered that the neighbor's pretty
daughter and myself were engaged to
marry. However, this betrS.hai or
what you may call it did not take
| place until 1868, whenI was about Is
wears old. Ny father made it a lively
engagement for me, and finally suc-
ceeded in blasting my hopes. The
young lady and made several at
tempts at elopement, but he ALWAYS
frustrated them. My love dream con-
tinued, without many interruptions.
until the neighbours daughter left boms
and wentsto Omaha, where she took
service in a hotel. Her people were
moor. 1t became necessary Tor her
TO earn her own living. As / had
nothing without my father q assist
ance to support a wife. we concluded
to wait O year or two longer, and In
the meantime she was to work and
| save for the commonfund upon which
we expected to 60 to housekeeping
"What Was the resalt2" the friend
inquired.
IL am coming to that. In it lies
the romance OF my story, or what
little there is OF it. My promised wife
had been gone but a few months when
she wrote me thatsne bad married a 4
circus clown, and was preparing to
take her place III Ortop's show. | was
sorely grieved for n time, while my
father was greatly elated."
aDid you ever see her again."
"Did /? Well, / do not want to see
her again under such circumstances.
| One day, two or three years alter
| that, | was in Omaha. A circus was
| in Coles as @ellas | can recol.
iect. Wide on the way to the show
| grounds / unexpectedly overlook my
old sweetheart and her husband, the
clown. The meeting was friendly
enough. Both OF us had recovered
from our youthful ~infatuation, and
we could meet without embarrass-
ment. Wethree wslkedtogether to the
circus. but the affairs of the old neigh
borhood and old times which my once
promised bride and myself recounted
we're not interesting to the husband.
Directly be said: You take Nellie
down to the show. Ibaye to go back
to the hotel ! did so, and went in
to the dressing. tent OF her invitation.
/ had been about two minutes among
the elephants and horses talking to
Nellie before she went into the won.
EMS apartment when ! received a ter
rife blow back of the ear. 1t knocked
me sprawlina, dangerously near the
feet of a huge elephant. Nellie scream
ed, assisted by the other women. and
half a dozen strong-armed canvasmers
rushed in and, seeing me, the stranger
in the camp, started to beat out what
little life was left in me. The women
interfered, the believing elephant got
loose, the horses cayorted, and ID the
menagerie the lions and tigers roared,
the monkeys chartered and the duce
vast pay"
"Well, what did you do?"
aWhat did | do? Why, / sneaked
out while the uproar was at its height.
Do you think | was going to stay
there and be knocked down again by
an iron-jawed eopper-bound canon
ball performer supported by a half
dozen brawny and murderous looking
canvasmen? From that day to this
1 don't know whether 1t was accident
'EerA4ho ieaIousy of the husband that
caused my suffering. j am sure he had
no reason to fear Nellie and / ~runnine
away. Both of us had got braveIy
over our young love'sdream. Insper
saw her again until twelve years
later, when Coup's circus came here. /
took my vile to the show In the after
noon. and when the trapeze act amt
on, so did Nellie, to my surprise. To
see her hang by her teeth in midair
was the wonder OF wonders. I could
think of nothing but those happy cal
low days on the Nebraska farm. Hers
was ], the farmers boy, in good busi
ness, with a family OF devoted
wife, boys and girls, there
the sweetheart Of long ago.
the neighbours pretty daughter, swing
ing through the air with the greatest
of ease and holding on with her teeth
like grim death to a slender rope. OF
eourse / went to the circus again that
night and saw Nellie. She was still
beautiful and entertaining, as ! found,
in calling on her in the dressing tent.
Since Ihad seen her on that memoras
BILE day in Omaha she had been around
the world. and came back with a net
saving of $4,000. 1t represented
part OF her salary, but the most Of II
cameron thesale OF her photographs
in South America, where she was I'M
mensely popular. Nellie ard her hns-
band separated some time after .
daughter was born to themin Austria
hs. He is now in Chicago. She mar
ried again, and when Forepaugh'ss
show comes here / intend to go and
see little Belmont, the daring and
beautiful performer in the menaqe act.
1t is little Belmont, Nellie's daughter
indianapolis Journal.